America's CTO

There's been a lot of discussion
about who America's CTO should be if Obama is elected. He's promised
to appoint one. Someone asked me what I thought on Twitter and 140
characters just wasn't enough for a thought out response to a
complicated question.

First we should be clear on the differences
between a CIO and a CTO. Were talking about a CTO job here and
that's a different beast than the CIO. At this level, I'd expect th
CTO to be mostly about policy. That's a good thing. Technology is a
big part of the economy, but more importantly it's an important part of the
US infrastructure world and the basis for almost everything we do.
Having a coherent policy around technology would be a huge win.

For this to work, of course, this has to be more than a token
appointment to fulfill a campaign promise. The CTO would have to
have the President's ear. Washington insiders will know right away
whether this is the case or not and will ignore anyone without the
President's support.

I've seen the names of tech CEO's suggested. I don't think they'd
work. Government is a different beast and people used to pulling the
levers often flounder when put in government positions. If he
weren't a Republican, Michael Leavitt would be a good choice. He
understands tech and he gets how to use political power effectively.
The most important power this position would have would be "convening
authority." The power to call meetings. You need someone who can
turn that into real work done. It's not easy.